His limbs were shackled. It was all he could do to walk.
He slowly ascended the wooden platform where a rope was suspended in the air, awaiting him.
He was led over a trapdoor. The rope was fastened tightly around his neck. Already, he could barely breathe.
In front of him, he was told of the crimes he did not commit.
He closed his eyes.
The trapdoor opened, and he fell.
...
The violence of the battlefield raged on around him. His battalion had long been defeated, with him being one of the last to fall.
He raised his sword, knowing it was useless. He watched as a soldier mounted on horseback charged at him, his lance lowered and aimed directly at him. Seconds later, his chest was perforated.
...
He stared at the object in his hand. It had taken some effort to obtain. He sat down. He opened his mouth and bit down on the cyanide pill.
...
Berlin. 1952.
One soul. Three hundred thousand.
...
He drove a car on a road on a cliff. He admired the scenery around him. A forest was to his left. To his right was the sea, blue and endless.
He pressed harder on the accelerator pedal. The car immediately sped up. It cleared the side of the cliff, arced through the air, and plummeted into the water far below.
...
He picked up a cup of tea and drank. It was good tea. He would miss its unique flavour.
He held a gun in his hand. He admired its craftsmanship and design. It was perfect for his needs.
He finished his tea. He raised the gun, pressed the end of the barrel directly against his head, and pulled the trigger.
...
He quietly ate a meal in a restaurant. The television mounted in the corner of the room was playing some inconsequential program before it suddenly changed to the news channel. The commentator spoke in a terrified voice but managed to remain calm enough to report on the disaster that had just occurred.
"...Are we sure? Oh, I'm on air?...to everyone listening, I have terrible news. Less than five minutes ago, Moscow was devastated by some sort of explosion, an asteroid impact originating from the moon if my sources are accurate…the casualties are already feared to reach into the tens of millions…"
He stopped eating and paid full attention to the television. The commentator suddenly grew even paler.
"...Folks, I've just received confirmation that a megatsunami has been reported in the Pacific Ocean. It seems to have been caused by a large impactor landing in the Mariana Trench…oh, god...if estimates are accurate, its crest is over five hundred feet tall, enough to devastate any exposed coastal cities…evacuations are already underway. God help us all."
He heard sounds of panic, then screaming. The other patrons in the restaurant were agitatedly speaking on their phones as if receiving important news. As the conversations went on, they grew paler and more frightened. Each of them stood up and ran out of the restaurant. Out of either curiosity or fear, he followed them.
When he stepped out of the restaurant, he saw the entire city in a panic. Crowds of people gathered on the streets, looking up at the sky. He followed their gazes.
The sounds of screaming, crying, and praying grew louder.
In the sky directly above them was a bright light - but it was not the sun, for it grew larger and brighter with each second.
Some of the people fell to their knees. Some of them embraced their families and told them how much they loved them. Some of them howled with uncontrollable laughter.
He stepped back into the restaurant and resumed his meal.
Less than a minute later, the lunar meteor completed its journey through the atmosphere and collided with Los Angeles, sending thousands of kilometers and tens of millions of lives to oblivion.
...
How many times must he die for him to live?
...
Johann Stern's eyes snapped open.
He could not begin to guess where he was at or why the entire world had a lustrous blue hue.
He saw without seeing. Gradually, his vision focused on the blonde man sitting in a chair below him.
Johann immediately felt renewed hatred and rage upon seeing him. By now, it was a learned response. There were no other things he could feel in the presence of the man who he hated the most in the entire world.
No other emotions except for fear.
He could loathe Otto with every part of his being, and he did. But what use was hatred when Otto had absolute control over his entire life and always had? The one thing in the world he wanted at that moment was to kill him by any means, but that was impossible. He could not move.
Otto casually drank the last mouthful of blood-red wine from the wineglass. He set it down on the table beside his seat, looked up, and smiled at him.
"Welcome back, dear cousin of mine. I trust that your rest was a vivid one. Do you remember her now?"
Johann glared back with utter fury in his eyes. But there was no point in refusing to answer.
"All this time…all these years…this is what you were planning, isn't it?"
Otto seemed happier upon hearing his answer. "Of course. It's what I have been planning for the last five centuries. Everything you and I have done has led up to this very moment."
Johann attempted to access his Herrscher abilities. If his muscles were immobilized, perhaps his void powers could help him. But somehow, despite feeling more power in him than he had ever known, the power eluded him. No matter how much he attempted to reach out and grasp it, it remained tantalizingly just out of reach of his fingertips and refused to heed him.
"Let me out, Otto, so I can kill you for everything you've done."
Otto chuckled with amusement. "I will, Johann. In time. For now, we have so many things to talk about first."
Johann continued to reach for the powers of the void, but it was no use.
He felt a familiar, but unwelcome presence in his mind reach out to him.
Little captain…are you alright?
What do you want, Sirin? This doesn't concern you. Leave me.
Her presence faded but remained just nearby.
He continued to glare at Otto. "Fine, Otto. If you want to talk, then let's talk. Then we can finally settle everything between us."
Otto nodded. "Allow me to begin by apologizing for all the pain you must have suffered over the centuries. I mean this. I truly do. I took no enjoyment in your suffering, no matter how necessary it may have been."
Johann nearly burst out laughing. Otto wanted to waste words on this of all things?
"I apologize most of all for the pain you must have endured when I ended the most recent iteration of your life."
Only then did he recall the battle onboard the Hyperion where Otto's Soulium copies had ambushed and butchered him. Yet he had somehow survived and was now here with Otto. How was this possible?
"You must be wondering how you're alive after all those deaths you've experienced. The answer is simple. The very same thing that caused your most recent death is also responsible for your most recent life."
Johann felt an inkling of understanding. He felt Sirin shifting just below his consciousness, listening to Otto's every word. The one thing they had in common, he knew, was a shared hatred for Otto.
"That reason is Soulium," Otto continued. "It's a wondrous substance created in the Previous Era. I began my research into the intricacies of life and death shortly after Kallen left us, and Void Archives was so generous as to enlighten me with the knowledge of this material. In essence, it's a unique form of nanotechnology. In large numbers, it is one of the most durable substances known to man. Each Divine Key was crafted from it. But it is not only durable. It also possesses an even more unique property…the ability to carry a being's soul within its myriad machines."
Johann's understanding of his situation gradually grew. "It's how you're able to cheat death again and again."
"As astute as you always are. Indeed. In preparation for your arrival, I increased the number of my Soulium avatars until they numbered a hundred and one. Then, by obtaining the core of the Herrscher of Domination, I was able to exert my control onto each and every one of them. I also obtained the authority of the Herrscher of Binding, which enabled me to create a Grace Field onto your allies while deliberately excluding yourself in order to bait you out. But enough about me. We're here today because of you."
Johann said nothing and continued to glare at the man he had once cherished so dearly.
"As I was saying, my dear cousin, Soulium can carry a being's consciousness, memories - everything about them - and even after their death. I apologize again for killing you. There was no other way. I had to transfer your consciousness from the body you had into the new one you find yourself in now, the one I worked so hard on perfecting. I promised to grant you the gift of immortality, and now I have."
Otto gestured vaguely in front of himself. "The blue colouration you're seeing is the crystal that I grow these bodies of Soulium in. Look around you - there are countless more of them to take your current body's place upon its death or destruction."
Lining the vast chamber were dozens upon dozens of more large blue crystals, each holding another identical body for Johann, each with its eyes closed and unmoving.
Little captain…this new body of yours, it's…
He ignored her.
"Allow me to explain. There are two reasons why I had to bring you here in the underground chambers deep below the St. 537 Cathedral in Kolosten. The first is that you must be settled into your new and improved body created entirely from Soulium for what we're about to do. The second is that it was a convenient way to provoke Theresa and her valkyries into desiring revenge against me, thus encouraging them to confront me at the cathedral."
Johann's anger grew with each detestful word Otto said. But there was still nothing he could do. He felt Sirin attempting to help him access the void powers beyond his reach, but even she was powerless.
"How…how many times have you done this to me…" he said in a low voice. If those memories of countless deaths were real…
"Only once. Your lives are twofold, a result of both Soulium and cloning technology. After I discovered both of these from Void Archives, I had a difficult decision to make. My resources were limited, and I only had enough Soulium to create complete bodies for one of us. Naturally, I chose myself, but that left you with only a pittance of Soulium nanomachines. So, I created clones from your original body, which was simple enough, before injecting them with the minimum number of nanomachines required to carry your soul within them. Then I finally set you free from the rejuvenation tank deep underground."
Johann remembered this. He remembered all of it.
"Unfortunately, all of your memories were gone. You were an empty shell of a man who only remembered the most basic ideas of the world…it took me a very long time to discover why this was. It seemed that in your grief and endless defiance against me, your very soul refused to accept the memories of who you were and suppressed them in your subconscious. How very frustrating it was for me. In fact, it set my plan back by centuries."
For the first time using his new body, Johann laughed. "Good. I'm glad to hear that even while unconscious, I did everything I possibly could to interfere with your sick plans."
"I let you live for the remainder of your natural life, cousin," Otto continued, unfazed. "When you finally died for the very first time - to the very same way Kallen would have, surprisingly enough - your soul returned to the first clone carrying Soulium I had prepared for you. I had high hopes that your memories would somehow return then. They did not."
Johann laughed again.
"Again and again you lived and died. You have lived countless lifetimes over centuries, each as an entirely different man with his own unique memories. You have died just as many times. Some peacefully. Some had you surrounded by those you loved. Other deaths were not so sweet. But there was one constant in each in every one of your lives, cousin. No matter how cruel, violent, or peaceful your lives may have been, there was always one thing you remembered - your name."
Johann closed his eyes and let his memories come to him. It was true. He hated it, but every word Otto spoke was true.
He had lived countless lifetimes. He had died countless times. He had lived countless years, some joyous, others filled with only suffering, most with both. He had met countless people he cherished so dearly, all of them now dead and rotting in the ground. He remembered each and every one of them, and he felt his first tears pooling up beneath his eyes.
Little captain…I am here for you…
"What name is that, my dear cousin? It certainly wasn't your true name. Oh yes, you kept the name Johann across all your lifetimes. But the name that carries your identity…you abandoned it. You changed it…"
"Apocalypse…Stern…" Johann whispered.
"Yes," Otto replied.
"Kallen…she…she…"
Don't do it just for me, my bright star…do it for the world and everyone in it.
Schicksal needs you here…you need to make it better...you must become the bright star illuminating the path you will guide them down .
No, Johann! You need to live! Go and hide, my shining star!
…
I was the star in her world. I was the light that gave her hope. I…I took this as my own name after disowning House Apocalypse and everything Schicksal stood for…
"Yes, Johann. In your defiance, your very soul rejected your own name for Kallen's instead. I admire that about you. It truly is moving."
"Shut up, Otto…just…shut up for once…"
"Fortunately, your name wasn't the only thing you remembered. You also retained all knowledge of the numerous languages you had learned, your combat skills, and of course your talent at learning new things incredibly quickly, which all served you well in many of your lifetimes. But you never remembered Kallen or how much you loved her. Your very soul was shielding yourself from that pain. I was the only one who could help you to finally remember her again."
Johann's tears began to fall.
"It wasn't easy. I failed so many times. Eventually, I resorted to bringing Kallen back to you. You seem confused. It's simple. I created clones of Kallen and sent them to meet you in hopes of triggering your memories of her. The most recent one was that valkyrie you found while you were the captain of an aircraft carrier. Lilika, I believe her name was. I named her after your mother for extra potency."
"L…Lilika…no, no…"
"Yes, Johann. Lilika was merely one of many clones of Kallen Kaslana I created for your sake. Unfortunately, she was as much a failure as the ones before her. None of them ever restored your memories of Kallen. All they accomplished was triggering vague dreams of her. I know all of this because I have all of your bodies' biometric data from any point in time. Nothing you have ever done has escaped me."
"You…you bastard…how could you do this…"
Otto smiled. "I programmed Lilika to suffer a mental breakdown at a critical moment before she ran away. I sent Rita after her, which was a routine cleanup of a rogue valkyrie. Rita was the one who sent her to your apartment at my request, although at the time she was quite confused on why I would want this. I then ordered Rita to execute Lilika in hopes that suffering such a loss would trigger your memories of Kallen's own demise. Most of all, I programmed her with all of Kallen's passion and skill for the purpose of making love. Oh yes. When you and Kallen were together for the first time, I was watching. I saw everything you did with her."
"YOU SICK BASTARD! LET ME OUT SO I CAN KILL YOU!"
"Was Lilika as good as Kallen was, Johann?" Otto honestly asked. "I certainly hope she was. You see, she wasn't the only clone of Kallen I programmed with such skills. There is also Amber - my personal assistant, remember? You've met with her plenty of times, and I'm pleased at how well you got along. I created her so I could finally experience Kallen's body for myself after resisting the temptation to for so long. I have used Amber so many times that I no longer feel anything with her. Still, I must admit that I had never felt so satisfied when I touched her for the first time. But not even Amber could fully satisfy me, not that it mattered - the only thing that can truly satisfy me is the knowledge that Kallen is safe and happy."
"...Fuck you…you absolutely disgust me…don't tell me that…T-Theresa…"
"Oh no, of course not. There are levels that even I can never stoop to. Theresa is my dear, precious granddaughter, and I would sooner die than look at her the way I did Kallen. Theresa is and has always been as pure as the summer sky you and I met Kallen under."
"Please…just stop this…" Johann begged.
"Theresa was the reason why I chose you to become the next captain of the Hyperion. She was alike Kallen more than all of her predecessors. You would spend the next few years fighting at her side. You would come to cherish each other's companionship. You would grow closer until you both became inseparable from each other. And as you did, Theresa unknowingly fulfilled her own purpose of meeting you. She was the most successful of all of her fellow clones at reviving your memories of her progenitor."
Johann's emotions churned with disgust and loathing. Even his unbreakable bond with Theresa had been engineered by Otto. All of his love and care for Theresa and hers in return for him were nothing more than a means to Otto's end. He never had any control over anything in any of his lives.
"Shortly after you met her, you began having dreams of watching the clouds on a meadow with a silver-haired girl with blue eyes. The dream would always end with a strange, winged object flying at you and striking you in the face, waking you up without fail. I'm quite sure you know what that object is by now."
Johann remained silent, but he knew. It was the glider Otto had created as a child. It was one of their favourite and most cherished inventions. It was how they had met Kallen.
He remembered the event shown in the dream. He had been gazing at the clouds with Kallen. The glider had struck him. He had picked up the broken pieces. Otto ran over to them.
Otto seemed strange. He seemed neither happy nor distraught that his glider had broken. Johann had sheepishly handed it over to him before asking Otto to watch the clouds with them.
Otto did. But from then on, Otto would always seem to have a strange tension within him when he was with the two of them.
"...You were jealous, weren't you," Johann realized. "You didn't want me to have Kallen to myself. You wanted to be the one below the sky with her. You could have just asked. But you never take the smart option, do you? You always leave a trail of suffering wherever you go."
Otto nodded. "I can't deny that. But it doesn't matter now. Anyways, not even Theresa was able to truly restore your memories. You may be interested to learn that the one who made it possible is with us at this very moment."
Johann at first did not understand. Then, with growing apprehension, he realized that the consciousness sharing his own did understand.
"Sirin…"
"Yes. The Second Herrscher. The Herrscher of the Void. I knew at once when she marked you with the scent of Honkai, merging her soul with yours. This meant that she had complete access to each and every one of your memories you had subconsciously repressed, although she evidently chose to keep them concealed from you for her own purposes."
Little captain…I am sorry…
It was true. He felt her genuine remorse at withholding something so intimate from him.
"Sirin was the reason why the next phase of my plan could finally begin. I could force her to relinquish her hold over your memories during your transition to your new body. It was a very delicate and meticulous process, and the slightest mishap could have ruined it all. But as I always do, I succeeded. With Sirin's…assistance, your memories are now yours once again."
Sirin…
Yes, little captain?
…
Did it hurt when he did this to you?
Yes. Very much so. He forced me to relive your memories time and time again. It was not the first time he had hurt me.
…We'll stop him…together…
He felt a measure of sympathy for the Herrscher. No one deserved to suffer at Otto's hands, not even her, and he felt disgust at his own memories being used as the weapon against her.
He began struggling with all of his might to break free from the crystal housing his new body and to access his void powers with Sirin helping as much as she could, but to no avail.
"If having my memories back is so important to you, why didn't you just restore them with Fenghuang Down yourself?" Johann asked in order to stall for time. "You seem fond of using it on me. Rita and Fu Hua know this well enough."
Otto sighed. "Oh, Johann…you have no idea how many times I did just that. In the beginning, I would restore your sealed memories each time you awoke in your newest body. But as I'm sure you're well aware, it was, to say the least, a highly unpleasant process. I'm afraid that the sheer agony and pain associated with the act of memory restoration broke your mind beyond repair each time, even putting aside the memories themselves. Without fail, you would go out and end your own life as soon as you could before reawakening once again into your next body with all of your memories vanished once more. You truly were creative in your ways: poisoning, drowning, driving off cliffsides, gunfire…"
Johann grit his teeth. He remembered. He remembered all of it. He remembered each time he had chosen to end his own life and the methods he had chosen to do so. He remembered the pain and suffering each time he had.
"...And as for the time I used it to modify your memories after you interfered with Rita's mission, know that it was nothing personal on my behalf. I couldn't have her interfere with what I needed you to do, after all. Theresa deserves better than that. Rather than a punishment for you, it was always meant to help you reach the next stage in your life, which you've adjusted to just splendidly."
"Don't…don't call it that…" Johann growled.
"Don't waste your energy reminiscing on useless things like this, my dear Johann. You'll need it for what waits in store for you. That new body of yours you're in? It's no mere clone of frail flesh. This one is like the one you see me in right now. Every last cell is in fact composed of nanomachines created from Soulium. Such an avatar on its own already wields enough power to rival the greatest S-rank valkyries…Bianka can attest to that. But combine that with the void powers you already wield…"
"Bianka? What have you done with her?!" Johann demanded.
Otto laughed. "Worry not about her. You will be seeing her again quite soon. As I was saying, your last body, the one I unfortunately had to kill you in, had mastered its void powers at an astonishing rate. In only a few short weeks, you became no weaker than the Herrscher of the Void during her first battle at the Tower of Babylon against Joachim Nokianvirtanen. Not even a nuclear missile could defeat her; it took a black hole generated by the Star of Eden to do that. And now? With your new Soulium body that is a weapon in itself, who knows what you are capable of?"
"Why don't you let me out so you can learn for yourself?"
"As you wish, my dear cousin."
Johann watched, confused at how readily his demand had been granted, as Otto stood up and walked over to the control terminal. He pressed a button. Immediately, the blue crystal enclosing Johann's body began dissipating into a blue mist. He found himself slowly falling to the floor. He immediately attempted to summon a subspace lance to impale Otto, but he was just as powerless as he was before, still unable to even move.
"As I'm sure you've learned, you're immobilized. I programmed your Soulium nanomachines with a simple directive: they will refuse to follow your commands if you do anything to raise a hand against me or anything contrary to my goals. Any other actions are fair game. Please, try it for yourself. Take a step forward, as many as you wish," Otto instructed.
Johann listened with horror, realizing the implications of Otto's words. Carefully, he took one step forward. The action was more effortless than he could ever remember. He continued walking over to Otto until they stood face to face.
"Now, you have numerous options. You could punch me in the face, stab me using a subspace lance, create a portal and teleport back to your valkyries…please, feel free to try any of these."
Johann desired all of this and more, but his body refused to obey his commands no matter how hard he demanded it to. His control over the void remained tantalizingly out of reach, and his right arm was as paralyzed as it once had been, refusing to harm Otto in any way. Only now did he truly realize his powerlessness before his cousin. He had always been his pawn.
"Otto, you bastard…what have you done to me…you've made me your slave…I've always been your slave and nothing more for centuries without even knowing it…how could you do this to me?!"
He wept for the first time. Fresh, untainted tears streamed down his face as he fell to his hands and knees, defeated. Otto's directive at least allowed for that.
"I hold so much power, more than I can comprehend…I can feel it almost overwhelming my soul…but all of it is useless to me…I can't use any of it to stop you, Otto…"
Little captain, please listen to me…with time, I believe I can eventually override his directive over the nanomachines in your body and return control over to you…I am working on this as we speak…
Do it, Sirin…please…
"Rejoice, Johann. All of this I have done so you can achieve what you desire most in this world," Otto said calmly.
"What I desire the most is to kill you and avenge everyone you've ever harmed, you bastard…"
"No, my dear Johann. What you desire above all else is Kallen's happiness."
He tried to deny it. He tried to separate himself from the man he once was. That man died, and everyone he ever loved died with him.
Deep within his heart, he knew it was true. His memories of her could not be denied.
His memories of her kindhearted soul.
Her righteous fury against those who abused the weak and innocent.
Her compassion and love.
Her despair.
Her pain.
Otto was right.
"I am glad you feel as strongly about her as I do, my dear cousin…" he heard Otto say. "This is why I require your help…"
...
Sirin listened to every word the two Apocalypses spoke. She should have been an outsider to their feud, but because of her own actions, she had become part of it.
Otto had hurt her again. He had forced her to relive Johann Apocalypse's memories countless times over until she felt as if she had participated in those events herself.
It had hurt her. The process caused her more pain than the syringes of violet liquid injected into her body at the Tower of Babylon.
But through her suffering, she found it. She had found what she always wanted to understand.
She understood how truly and completely her host loved this woman named Kallen Kaslana. She felt his pain at her death as if it were her own. She did not want him to feel any more pain.
From the time she had marked him with her scent and merged her soul with his own, she wanted him to be happy and insulated from the despair of this world. She had kept his past hidden from him to protect him from himself. She now knew how wrong she was to have.
She remembered how much she had hurt him in his mind during his comatose state. At the time, she thought she had been helping him let go of those he no longer needed. Now, she resolved to atone for all the pain she ever caused him.
She loathed Otto Apocalypse every bit as much as he did.
...
"You're insane, Otto. You're absolutely insane if you're asking for my help with anything."
"Not at all. We both want the exact same thing: to see Kallen alive, well, and happy again."
He did everything he could to deny Otto's words, but he could not. It was true, so he denied his feelings another way.
"It's impossible. Reviving the dead is impossible. You know this. Kallen is dead, and she's never coming back. You've been trying for five hundred years. If it were possible, you would have already succeeded. Please, Otto…accept this truth, and just let Kallen go…"
He looked up and met Otto's green eyes. To his surprise, they were filled with understanding. Did Otto pity him?
"And even if you could do it, she would never be able to live with the knowledge of what you've done for her sake. How many people have you hurt and killed, Otto? How much suffering has happened because of your actions? Think about this! What would Kallen think? Would Kallen have wanted you to do all of this in her name? Don't you remember how hard she slapped you because of this, how hard you made her cry?!"
To his anger, Otto did not seem to care. Of course he did not.
"...I've realized something, Otto," he continued. "Your obsession with reviving Kallen. It's more than simple love. No amount of love can change someone this much from the person they used to be. No. It's something more than that. It's hatred. You despise yourself. You completely, utterly loathe yourself, Otto. You've felt this way every single day for over five hundred years. And why do you? Isn't it obvious?"
Otto listened, his expression strange. To Johann's grim satisfaction, his words seemed to be having an effect on him.
Johann laughed at him. He jeered and mocked him. His derisive laughter rang throughout the entire chamber, finally stopping when his grief outgrew his mirth.
"Schicksal did not kill Kallen, Otto. You did. It was always you. You were the one who released a thousand Honkai beasts onto Vienna. You were the one who failed to realize how Kallen Kaslana would react to innocents in danger. You were the only one who harboured enough hatred for Schicksal and its people to do something depraved enough to put her life in danger. You also killed me, your only cousin. You've subjected me through centuries of suffering and loss, and not once did you ever consider letting us rest in peace. You're a complete monster, Otto, and you know it."
His words complete, Johann finally calmed down and waited for however Otto would react.
"I deny none of this and ask for no forgiveness for all the atrocities I have committed," Otto slowly said after several minutes of self-reflection. "You are right: I am a monster. I freely admit this - but why should I care? All that matters is Kallen's happiness and safety. Kallen is free to believe however she wishes about me. If she wishes to see me as dead to her, then I will gladly welcome it so long as she is alive to make such a decision."
"Otto…" Johann growled, still trying and failing to attack him.
Otto turned away from him. "What if I were to tell you that there is a way to bring Kallen back to us?"
Was this a trick? No. A man like Otto did not make idle claims.
"You must be aware of the concept of time travel. You also know that it's always been dismissed as an impossible fantasy. For most of history, it was. But I, Otto Apocalypse, have at last found a way to travel through time. And I will do so by sending the world back five hundred years ago to the fifteenth century."
Johann listened with growing apprehension.
Otto took a deep breath before continuing his explanation. "There are two ways I could accomplish this. The first is the simplest and easiest. In fact, it's the contingency I will fall back on should the second fail. It is to revert this world to how it was five hundred years ago. Everything outside this quaint little town will find itself in the year 1477 again. All history, progress, and discovery since then will be erased. None of it will have ever happened."
Johann could not believe what he was hearing. He was well aware of Otto's willingness and ability to commit monstrous acts, but all of them combined paled in comparison to what he had described.
"Otto…this…this is insanity…five hundred years, all gone? Everyone who was born and lived a life…none of it will have any meaning…five hundred years of history, discovery, and knowledge…all wiped out? How could you even begin to consider this, Otto? You'll become the worst mass murderer in all of history! How many billions of lives will you be erasing?! And how the hell will it do anything to bring Kallen back?!"
Otto waited for Johann to quiet down. When he did, Otto continued speaking, much more solemnly this time. "Consider the year it will be again. 1477."
Johann realized what he meant. "The year Kallen…"
Otto nodded. "Yes, Johann. The world we know will be gone, but for Kallen, it will be the one she had always known. But remember, this is only one option out of two. Allow me to explain the second and far more preferable path to you, my dearest cousin."
Otto turned back around to him. "As I've explained, I could simply reset time for the entire world. Alternatively, I could also choose to create rather than destroy. Yes, I see your confusion, so allow me to explain it in simpler terms. I can instead create an entirely new universe, an entirely new timeline, that begins in the year 1477, reviving Kallen while leaving this world entirely untouched. I know that this choice is the one you will insist we work together to accomplish."
Johann tried his best to comprehend everything Otto told him. Was it possible? Was it really possible to bring her back? If so, what would it cost? He finally stopped struggling to attack him. Instead, he listened carefully to Otto's every word, unsure if he wanted them to be true or not.
"I said many times that I will bring Kallen back no matter the cost…even if that cost is the entire world we know. Even if it is in excess of billions of lives that will cease to have ever existed. But rejoice. You find yourself in front of a very important decision, one grander than any decision ever made before. There are no others apart from you more qualified to make this decision."
Otto picked up a wineglass and filled it. He offered it. Johann stared at the red liquid. He reached forward and accepted the drink, but he did not raise it to his lips.
"I am offering you the opportunity to choose which one of these two paths we will take together. Either option leads to the same ultimate outcome: Kallen's life, and both carry a cost to resurrecting her. You simply must choose what the cost will be. Will it be billions of lives that will never be born? Or will it be something far, far more reasonable?"
Johann glared at him, not sure if he could trust him. If what Otto said were true, Johann feared the decision he would make.
He was about to answer when Otto interrupted him. "Understand that either option is acceptable to me. Kallen will live either way, billions gone or otherwise. But because you are so important to me, my dear cousin, you of all people have been given the privilege of this choice."
"You…you're threatening the entire world just for Kallen…you've held it and all of its lives hostage, and you're forcing me to choose…bastard…"
He shut his eyes and considered everything for a very long time.
He remembered every moment, both joyful and anguished, he had shared with Kallen. He remembered the sheer love they had for each other and then for Sakura. He remembered the promise they had made to each other to make the world a better place, a promise both of them had ultimately failed to keep.
Kallen…you deserved so much better than what happened to you…if anyone in the world deserves a second chance at life…it would be you…
But it had to be Otto of all people to give her this second chance. There was no other possible outcome. Otto always was going to be the one to achieve this. It was his only purpose for living.
He looked directly into Otto's familiar green eyes. They carried several emotions he did not expect to find. Hope. Compassion. Love. Even joy.
Joy because Otto had long known what Johann would want. There was only ever one choice in front of him. If he could both save Kallen and save the world from Otto's wrath in one go, he could not commit to anything else.
"Otto…tell me…tell me how to save Kallen without sacrificing the entire world…tell me how I can help you create a new world where she can live…please…"
Otto gave him the warmest smile he had ever seen. It was nothing like those smug smirks he wore when manipulating and harming others. This one was genuine.
Otto carefully explained every detail of his plan as Johann clung onto every word, not knowing if he were making yet another mistake. Once he had finished, he waited for Johann's answer.
"...How can I trust you, Otto, after everything you've done?" he said after a very long silence. "How can I know that you aren't just lying to me out of a sick sense of amusement? For all I know, you want to destroy the world even if it wouldn't save Kallen…and what you're asking me to do to them…it's madness…I…I can't…"
"Dear cousin of mine, you know that everything I have done, including every lie I have ever made, were all for Kallen's sake. Would I lie to you at this critical moment?"
"Yes…of course you would…"
"I only want Kallen to be happy. And once she discovers what you have given her, imagine how overjoyed she would be."
"What are you talking about, Otto?"
Otto smiled again. This was the moment he had always waited for. It was a secret he and he alone was privy to for centuries. It was a secret he had been saving for this very moment. "Dear cousin of mine, there is something you must know. Kallen did not die alone."
"...What? What are you talking about?"
"Of course you wouldn't know. There was too much going at the time for you to notice, which is perfectly understandable. But surely you remember the strange signs Kallen had exhibited before her demise?"
"..."
"Oh yes, Johann. You and Kallen had created something truly unique together. She was carrying your child at the time of her death."
Johann was completely paralyzed with utter shock.
No…this can't be…Otto is just lying like he always is…he…we…
…
Contraception like the herbal tea Kallen drank wasn't nearly as effective back then … Kallen had complained of headaches, soreness, and other issues during our journey back to Vienna from Yae Village…no…no…no…
…
It's true, isn't it. Kallen must have known. Or did she? She never told me. Was it because she knew it wasn't the right time for us? She never even had the chance to after that horrible day…and then, she died. And our child died with her.
"Please, take as much time as you need to come to terms with this distressing news," Otto said tenderly. "It must be quite a shock to you. But you must decide quickly. Theresa and the others will be arriving at this cathedral to confront me at any moment."
Theresa…
Bronya…
Kiana…
Mei...
Everyone…I can't condemn them to live in the horrible world I grew up in. They deserve so much better…and Kallen…
There is only one thing I can do.
He slowly walked forward. He set the wineglass down and placed both hands on Otto's shoulders. The directive within the Soulium nanomachines comprising his body allowed for this. There was no way he could even bring himself to raise a hand against Otto now.
"Otto, you bastard," he wept. "You sick, manipulative bastard…you knew this all along. You kept this card close to your heart, waiting for this very moment to use it against me…"
Otto nodded. "Yes, I have. It was effective, wasn't it?"
Johann continued to sob. "I'll do it. Not for you. For Kallen and her child. It will not be easy for her. She will need to raise it on her own without me…she may even decide against having it, which would entirely be her decision…but Otto…you have left me with only one choice, a choice you always knew I'd make."
Otto gave him an overjoyed smile. "Let us drink to this occasion. The two Apocalypse brothers have reunited, and they are once again working together for one common cause, for the woman they both love so dearly."
He raised another wineglass as Johann raised his own. Johann reluctantly tapped it against Otto's before taking a drink. It was good wine. After finishing it, he looked his cousin in the eye.
"I very much look forward to a world where Kallen is alive and you are dead, Otto."
Otto smiled, embraced him, and thanked him with everything he had.
A/N: Hopefully, this resolves most of the questions from earlier. Of course, there will many plenty more questions to come.
